If you know, tell about boys

Blade columnist Dave Hackenberg's Christmas Day commentary “For 3 little boys still missing, a message of hope and comfort,” about the missing Morenci boys, was a fine piece of writing and very moving.

If the people who have them or knowledge of their whereabouts read this column, I am sure that they too will be moved, I hope, to the point of stepping forward.

Bob McCarthy

Maumee

‘Hope, comfort' heartwarming

Thank you, Dave Hackenberg, for the Christmas gift of your letter to the Skelton brothers. What a beautiful story of hope and love.

The brothers are still missing, and we are sad about that. But Mr. Hackenberg's outlook, so beautifully penned, gives us cause for hope, and reminds us of three beautiful little boys who have grown up way too soon.

It is amazing how ostrich-like some Toledoans can be. They bury their heads in the sand on supporting education, then run like crazy to meet and protest until they get the school board to approve remodeling decrepit buildings such as Libbey and Scott high schools, which are sorely out of date (“Scott boosters want Libbey fieldhouse for boys' team,” Dec. 25).

We do not have money to waste and we should not keep putting money into relics. We need to extend the length of the school day, provide technology for students, discipline our children, and teach them that staying in school and learning are more important than having a fancy old building.

Since the mistake of remodeling was already made at Scott, we can only hope that the Board of Education is planning computers for all students in all classrooms, and that measures will be in place to eliminate gang activities and everything else that disrupts education.

If Toledoans and the school district do not get into the 21st century when it comes to education, this town is doomed.

A.R. Rinaldo

Mellwood Court

Teach kids that violence is real

With so many murders in Toledo, someone needs to tell kids that guns are real.

Kids grow up playing war games on their Wiis and Xboxes and watching violence in movies and on TV. They need to realize that in real life, a person who is shot often dies.

Fathers need to teach their children real-life adventures, not about life out of a crack pipe or beer can. Make children pay for their bad deeds, and stop blaming the police when kids do something wrong. Teach them morals.

Take them to church and school. Teach them to help the needy. Teach them that it's not what they steal or buy that is precious, but that the most important thing on Earth is life.

Mary Poe

Primrose Avenue

People cheated on refuse program

Our last trash pickup was on Dec. 23. With the holidays, our next pickup will be Jan. 3.

We hosted Christmas for more than 30 people. You can imagine the trash and recyclable materials we have accumulated.

Even if the city picked up this week, we would have enough for two trash containers. It will take more than a month to get rid of the trash we accumulated in three days, not counting what else will accumulate in the next month.

The city has let us down by increasing refuse collection fees and dropping the quality and quantity of services.

I don't believe the city told us the truth about savings by switching to the new system.

It appears that the city and the company that supplied the refuse and recycling containers are the only ones who benefited from this costly mistake.

Dale R. Perne'

Talmadge Road

Officials' actions hurt the city

While intelligent and public-spirited citizens knock themselves out to get Toledo back on track during troubled times, city officials continue to sabotage their efforts.

A modest $10,000 request from the Toledo Symphony to help subsidize its historic trip to New York to perform at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in 2011 was rejected by the city (“Council won't aid symphony,” Dec. 8).

Now the city has abruptly terminated an intern for properly answering a subpoena to release public records, as state law requires (“City dismisses intern involved in streetlight report,” Dec. 23).

Stephen Leggett's ouster was immature and irresponsible. Unless there are facts not yet known that exonerate the city's attempts to withhold vital public documentation from Council, Mr. Leggett should be rehired with a remorseful explanation and an apology.

City officials are not only shooting themselves in the foot, they are mortally wounding all of us who do our best to reverse the brain drain of young business and professional people whose leadership is critical to restored civic pride.

Lynn Balshone Jacobs

Chapel Court

Global warming is no joke, it's real

There is still a conservative base that believes that global warming is a hoax.

Maybe looking at snow suggests that temperature variation is normal and there is no reason for concern.

But look around the world and the United States and you will see all types of erratic weather patterns, such as 5 inches of snow in the United Kingdom and torrential rains in the western United States and South America.

Most industrialized countries have accepted the fact that industrialization with its carbon emissions has had an impact on the global warming trend. Only the United States and China refuse to deal with the issue in a way that's internationally acceptable.

What will it take before the conservative base accepts the fact that we have an impact on global warming and is willing to take action?

Only alternative energy sources will stop the trend in carbon dioxide emissions.

Will we choose to deal with it or put it off for our children and grandchildren to deal with, just like the growing national debt?

Brendan Buckley

Orchard Trail Road

Some compassion goes a long way

I was the victim of a break-in and robbery at knifepoint in my home recently. This was the scariest moment of my life.

Yet when Toledo police arrived, I met some very jaded police officers and a detective. There was no compassion, no asking whether I was all right. They didn't believe my story.

I understand police see anything and everything. But some of us are victims who do nothing to deserve what happens to us. These victims should not be treated as if they are guilty. The officers' distrust of me was disconcerting at a fearful time.

Police have tough jobs, and they see things none of us will ever see or would want to see. But a kind word and a little less distrust from the officers would have gone a long way for a victim such as myself.

Thomas N. Timmons

Telegraph Road

Liberalism hasa down side too

I agree with the Dec. 25 Readers' Forum letter “What watchdog of democracy?” The Blade can blow its own horn all it wants, but each year its turn to the liberal side is offending more and more readers, and they're turning elsewhere for their news.

Deb Beldon

Starr Avenue

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